Thursday, November 28, 2013

Elysa Hendricks Interview

1. How long have you been writing?

I've been writing as long as I can remember. I've always been a storyteller, so I'm pretty sure as soon as I figured out that those funny squiggles on paper were words I began writing down the stories in my head.

2. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?

I'm definitely a panster or as I prefer to say "I write into the mist." If I plot out my entire story before I start writing, I tend to lose interest. Heck, if I know everything that's going to happen, why write it? Besides, even when I plot things out, my characters always object and do what they want anyways.

3. What drew you to the subject of MUST LOVE CATS: The Nine Lives of Thomas Cash Riley?

I adore cats and I wanted to write a book that featured a cat as more than just a pet. Thomas Cash (TC) Riley fit the bill. Though the book is a romance between two humans, TC has his own story to tell.

4. What was the name of the first novel you wrote? Did you try to publish it?

My very first novel CHILDREN OF THE MIND (btw - Orson Scott Card's book by the same name came out years after I wrote mine) will probably never see publication. I didn't realize it until long after I shoved the manuscript under the bed, to be guarded by killer dust bunnies, that the story borrowed way too heavily from Star Trek: Next Generation. Maybe someday I'll pull it out and see if I can salvage it, but right now I have too many other stories in my head clamoring to be written.

5. How many rejections have you received?

Let's just say that if my husband would agree to it, I could probably paper a room with them.

6. What was the best writing advice someone gave you?

No matter what, keep writing. Never give up. Never surrender.

7. If you could ask your readers one question, what would it be?

What can I do to make my books more appealing to you?

8. What’s your favorite quote?

"There are three rules to writing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." Somerset Maugham

9. What three things would you want with you on a desert island?

Assuming there's food, water, and shelter of some kind, the only other three things I'd need to survive would be my husband, paper, and pencils. Oh, an eraser would be helpful, too.

10. What do you do when you are not writing?

I'm not very adventurous, so my non-writing pastimes are pretty bland. I read. I walk. I putter around in the garden. And I do crafts like beading and needlework. Other than when I'm reading or watching TV my mind is always "writing." I often wonder what people who don't write, think about.

Author Bio:

Elysa Hendricks is 5'6" tall. She has curly hair and brown eyes. She's an author, a wife, a mother and a daughter. Everything else is subject to change without notice.

Her "real life" motto is: Boring is good. Excitement is vastly overrated, so she saves the adventure and excitement for the characters in her books.